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MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS PROJECT

Location

A network of mental health professionals in Toronto that want to share their knowledge with the frontline staff of settlement, employment and other organizations to assist them in providing quality services to newcomers that may experience mental health issues. We are expecting to engage 10-12 professionals for the pilot.

who is facilitating this project?

The idea for this project was generated by the inter-agency group working on the development of a mental health navigation tool facilitated by Toronto North Local Immigration Partnership (TN LIP).

The group involves four quadrant LIPs (south, west, east and north), Iamsick.ca, Toronto Public Health, Toronto Newcomer Office, CAMH, Hong Fook Mental Health Association and North York Community House.

Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) are multi-sectoral planning tables that bring a cross-section of stakeholders together to identify ways in which to support settlement and integration of immigrants into local communities. For more info on LIPs in Toronto please visit: http://torontonorthlip.ca/lips-toronto

why are we doing it?

The consultations conducted by the Toronto Public Health as part of the inter-agency mental health navigation group, showed that frontline workers of settlement agencies do not have a “go to” place to access the most valuable resource - people. Information about highly qualified mental health professionals is transferred by word of mouth. Furthermore, there is a continuous need for training on mental health issues among frontline workers in the settlement sector. We are hoping that the Ambassadors’ network will help address these issues. We also hope that this would be a great opportunity for Mental Health professionals to build relationships with community agencies.

project duration & scope

The pilot project would run from December 2016 to February 2017 and would involve 10-12 mental health professionals and around 20 community agencies across Toronto.

Commitment & audience

Mental Health professionals joining the network must be interested in building/expanding relationships with community agencies and have to commit to at least two presentations for frontline staff of agencies serving newcomers.

benefits & supports

Through participation in the Mental Health Ambassadors project you will outreach to potential clients, expand your professional network, promote mental health among newcomers and other vulnerable groups, and assist in linking them to appropriate services. All ambassadors will participate in an orientation session and would have the support of the TN LIP team during the project duration. At the end of the project, you will receive a certificate of appreciation.